Asus and Acer planning fiberglass Ultrabooks

Ultrabooks might be thin and sexy, but they’re a tad on the pricey side. One way to trim the overall cost of an Ultrabook would be to build them with less expensive materials. An aluminum shell is nice, but if fiberglass is good enough to clad a monster truck or boat hull, why not wrap it around your fancy new laptop’s innards?

Asus and Acer apparently think that’s a decent plan. DigiTimes’ supply chain sources are reporting that both companies are seeking the aid of Mitac — a Taiwanese plastic and metal fabrication giant –in their efforts to bring cheaper Ultrabooks to market. To do that, they’re looking to Mitac to deliver custom-made fiberglass shells.

They’ll replace existing aluminum designs, and that swap will result in a cost savings of about $20 per Ultrabook. That’s a drop in the bucket when you consider the near-thousand-dollar street prices, but it’s a start. A few dollar here, a few there, and manufacturers will slowly whittle prices down to a level where Ultrabooks will have a bit more mass appeal. Also, costs are multiplied by each level of the supply chain so that $20 amount could be move by the time it reaches consumers.

They’ve got a way to go, obviously, when big electronics stores are flogging 15.6-inch laptops for $299. Several major laptop makers had petitioned Intel to lower its processor prices, but the chip giant flatly refused. But with AMD’s Fusion APU offerings once again putting heat on Intel, there’s always a chance they’ll have a change of heart… or that manufacturers will turn to AMD for another, less expensive option.

Cost isn’t the only thing driving folks like Asus and Acer to look for alternatives materials like fiberglass. Apple’s done a good job of securing the Lion’s share (pun intended) of aluminum available for laptop construction, and that’s left other companies scrambling to implement Plan B.